Bafael martinez



(Nomea-ei.)

` R. MARTINEZ.

MAT.

Patented Mar. 25, 1884.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

AND HENRY GOODMAN,

BOTH OF SAME PLACE. l

MAT.

SP1E'.CLLEICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,782, datedMarch 25,` 1884.

l application mea December 11, ieee. (No model.) r

.To all whom itmcty concern:

Be it known that I, RAFAEL MARTINEZ, a subject of the King of Spain,residing in the city and county of New York, in the State of 5 New York,have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mats or RemovableFloor- Y Coverings, of which the following is a specification. y v

My improvement applies to that class of 1o mats in which the main bodyis composed of parallel slats or rods of wood held a little distanceapart, adapted to lie on the floor and to retain dust, mud, snow, &c.`,in the spaces between the rods. Gaps of malleable cast-iron or othersuitable material are applied on the ends.

I have in a patent grantedto me dated August 2l, V1883, N 0. 283,501,set forth the employment of soft vulcanized rubber in the form 2o ofstrips or bearing-pieces applied on one or both faces of the severalrods. I propose to thus equip the rods whenever it is desired.`

- The rods extend transversely of the length of the mat. The presentinvention relates to the means of connecting the rods. I divide theentire length of the mat into a number of separate sections, eachsection embracing four, six, or other convenient number of the parallelrods, rigidly connected by frames of castiron or other suitablematerial, one at or near each edge of the mat, and in large mats one ormore at intermediate points. I connect the several connections togetherflexibly, and so arrange `the parts that when it is desired to 3 5 storeaway or transporta matit may be packed in a small compass by folding orzigzagging the sections, so that each applies facewise against itsneighboring section. The method of packing is distinct from rolling.Rolling 4o would involve difficulties which my invention avoids. i

The means for` attaching the parts together may be varied considerably.It is only essential that the joints be strong and sufficientlyflexible, and that they do not interfere with the use of the mat whenextended on the door by not projecting below the lower surfaces of i therods and their attachments for extending abovethe upper surfacesthereof, and that they `5o allow two adjacent sections to apply togetherfacewise and lie parallel and completely in contact when the mat isfolded. Where my Y i u sider the best mans of carrying out theinvention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the mats extended for use. Fig. 2 isan end view of the mat when only partially extended. The remaining guresare on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion. This showsthe mat in the extended condition. Fig. 44 is a corresponding sectiontransverse to the rods or longitudinally oftheientire mat. Fig. 5 is acorresponding section, which I will call a longitudinal section. 7 Thisshows the three sections of a mat in the folded condition. Fig.

5LL is a longitudinal section through one of the rods, showing the meansof joining two short rods. Fig. Gis a section corresponding to Fig. 5,but differing therefrom in employing complete links instead of hooks,and forming the sections with hooks instead of links on `their ends.Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show further modifications. Fig. 7 is a plan view,showing the mat extended. Fig. 8 is a corresponding transverse section;and Fig. 9 is a section showing only the edge rods of two sections, withthe means for uniting them.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures where they occur.

The several rods of wood are all alike, and are designated by the sameletter, A; but additional marks, as A A2,' Sto., are added to designatecertain rods. Fourrods (each marked A) are secured rigidly together bymetal pieces, applied one at each end, and which I will mark by thesingle letter E, certain portions being designated, when necessary, by

additional ImarkS, as E' E2. They may be They are commade of malleablecast-iron'. posed of caps adapted to inclose the ends of the severalrods, and of rigid connections E between the said caps. I designate as asecroo tion the rigid collection of the four rods and the rigidconnecting metal pieces.` I provide as many sections, all of equal size,as may be l required to produce amat of theproperlength'. I willdesignate the several sections as 1 23, and the several rods therein bythe corresponding numerals appended to A.

Referring to Figs. I to 5, FP are eyes formed on the c nds of the metalpieces E. They receive double hooks,loops, or connectinghingepieces M,which form a flexible but strong joint between each section and theadjoining section. The eyes E2 are not in lines joining the centers ofthe several rods. They are arranged at an angle, as shown. Vhen the matis extended on the floor, two sections are connected by eyes El FF andhinge-pieces M, 1ying close to the floor. Then one of those sections isjoined to the next adjacent by corresponding eyes and hinge-piecesheld'up near the plane of the top of the mat. Then the next junction iseffected by eyes, which are depressed, and so on. The peculiarity ofthis arrangement becomes available when the mat is folded into theposition shown in Fig. l. The position of the eyes allows the mat to befolded closely.

Fig. 6 represents a modification.- It shows another mode of joining theedges of two sections.` It will be understood that the sections may bein all other respects similar to 'those shown in the preceding figures;but the eyes Ez and the hooks or hinge-pieces M are omitted. In the formof the invention shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 the two rods A, which form,respectively, the edges of two adjacent sections, are held more closelytogether than the rods generally, thus giving a peculiarly striped orgured effect to the mat when it is extended vby each section of thenext.

for use. The junction in these figures is formed by castings, which aresubstantially two rings rigidly united in a single casting, forming theiigure eight, (8.) These castings are applied on the edge-bars withinthe caps, and are kept in place close to the caps by nails a, driven inrings applied on the rods A. The importance of making these castings Mshort, so as to hold the edge-rods close together, is appreciated whenthe mat is folded. If these rods were held the same distance apart asthe others, two adjacent sections would not lie iiat one against theother, but would be held too far apart at the points where the castingsM are introduced. By making these castings short, as shown, I insure acompact folding and a iirm support My mats made either way may be piledin the folded condition to any reasonable height without straining .orotherwise injuring the parts, because the sections lie firmly in contacton a large portion of their several faces.

I have discovered a difficulty in using sticks or rods A beyond amoderate length, due to their tendency to warp and bend out of their'correct parallelpositions. Even the introduction of an additionalfastening at the mid-length of long rods does not prevent the mat frombej coming distorted by the bending of the rods,

so as to seriously mar the appearance.

I produce wide mats, when required, by applying two or more short rods,A,together, end to end, and inserting the abutting ends in a suitablecasting, IV, and securing them by nails a. Fig. 5 shows such a mode offastening the abutting ends of two short rods. The casting has a generalcylindrical exterior, with ,asocket in each end of sufiicient size toreceive the end of a rod, and a partial or complete partition of metalcast in one with the other parts. Each rod abuts against that centralpartition, and 'on drivinga nail or inserting other suitable fasteningto secure each rod to the casting the job is complete. It will beunderstood that when I employ this mode of joining two rods thesecentral castings may be engaged together in the same manner as the endcastings, and the effect is to produce a mat in all respects as shown inFigs. 1 to 6, y

but with a linev of castings and connections along the mid-length. Therecan be more than two rods thus joined, if desired. In case there are'three so joined, there will be two lines of these junction-castings.

Rigid caps, as shown, possess an advantage over rigid rings. Caps keepthe rods in position and prevent one or more rods from moving endwise,and thus protruding irregularly at the edges; but I can carry out theinvention with some success by using rings rigidly connected to form thesections and applying separate caps, or dispensing with caps. Furthermodifications may be made. The proportions may be varied within widelimits. I can, as already intimated, increase or somewhat reduce theareas of the several sections. I can use ten (l0) or otherlarge numberof rods A in each section. The connections E and the eyes E2 may be madeonrings separateromthe capsthat is to say, the connecting-castings E maybe composed, essentially, of rings connected by the parts E and havingthe eyes FF, and separate caps may be made to cover the ends of the rodsA. The rods A may in some styles of mats be covered with india-rubbercaps or with thin brass caps; or they may be left unprotected. There maybe another line of connections corresponding to E and of eyescorresponding to E2 along the mid-length of each set of rods A. In theform shown in Figs. 1 and 2 there may be iexible ties corresponding toE2 at one or more points intermediate between the end connections.' Themetal parts E may be elaborately formed of any suitable metal andnickel-plated or otherwise made to present a rich and highly decorativeappearance.

I have in my experiments used always rods which are cylindricalthroughout; but itis not essential that they be cylindrical, except .atpoints where the rings G are turned. The main bodies of the rods can beof rectangular section or of various other forms. It may be of advantagein many or most to make the rst and last rod of each mat ofwedge-section, with the thin part of the wedge outward.

The mode of joining two short rods to produce wide mats withoutdistortion (shown in IOO IIO

' l 2 3, in combination with flexible connections between the severalsections, allV combined and `arranged for joint operation substantiallyas A herein specified.

2. In a mat, substantially as described, the parallel rods of Wood, asA, made in sections,

combined with the castings W, which receive the abutting ends of saidsections, substantially 2o as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand, at New York city, NewYork, this 22d day"of October, 1883, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

RAFAEL MARTINEZ,

Witnesses:

p THos. W. ToLsoM, A J osEPH E. LABADIE.

